Anyone who’s ever visited it will tell you at once that Speedy Bill Smith’s giant collection of racing and speed equipment in Lincoln, Nebraska, is one of the best of its kind on the planet. It’s a premier destination in Lincoln, which is why the city’s Chamber of Commerce honored Bill with its 2011 Tourism Development Award.

The trove is officially called the Smith Collection Museum of American Speed, and it’s big enough to fill a three-story building adjacent to Speedway Motors, the hard parts and hot rod firm founded by Bill and his wife, Joyce. All we can say is, if you’re in Nebraska, you gotta get there. Find out more at www.MuseumofAmericanSpeed.com.

I remember seeing Speedy on Sunday nights at a dirt track near Omaha, Nebraska. This was in the ‘60s and ‘70s. He wasn’t racing; he was in charge of the safety crew. For a man with such a lead foot, he was pretty fast on his feet too.